


i hate you and other endearments

by Morlemia_R



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Again only sort of, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And Ben is pining, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben Solo is a Mess, Bisexual Ben Solo, Bisexual Finn (Star Wars), Bisexual Rose Tico, Chatting & Messaging, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Except then it got a bit angsty, F/M, Idiots in Love, Kylo Ren was Ben's alternate lead singer persona, M/M, Matchmaking, Mutual Pining, Poe is trying his hardest, Rey Doesn't Know How to Process Her Feelings, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey holds grudges, SO, Sort Of, Texting, based on a vine, none of that matters to the plot but have some character info anyway!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-19 20:02:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22937056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morlemia_R/pseuds/Morlemia_R
Summary: "Let’s tell each other a secret about ourselves. I’m gonna go first; I hate you.”Ben likes Rey. Rey does not like Ben. Poe Dameron has Big Plans for them.
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux & Rey, Armitage Hux & Rose Tico, Ben Solo & Rose Tico, Finn & Ben Solo, Poe Dameron & Armitage Hux, Poe Dameron & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron & Finn & Rey & Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 14
Kudos: 128





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This whole thing was based on an iconic vine. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBo26500o7U  
> Yes, I watched a seven second video and thought, 'Ohmygods this would be such a cute little oneshot!' *Spongebob Narrator Voice* Ten-thousand words later...  
> This is a crackfic. What makes it a crackfic? For one, the fact that Kylo Ren was Ben’s angsty name for when he was in a band called the Knights of Ren, and now he really wishes everyone would stop talking about it. (Poe bought all their CD’s because he knew one day it would be great blackmail material). Another reason this is a crack fic? The group chat. It's chaos. *Obi-Wan Kenobi Voice* Just look at it, Anakin!  
> Also; Poe orchestrated the group chat, and if you can’t guess, he named everyone in it.
> 
> There is a bit of angst, I'm sorry, it crept in among all the crack, but it's barely there. Mostly it's just pining and Rey and Ben sharing 1 braincell.
> 
> With all of that out of the way, Enjoy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the group chat (along with Rey and Ben), are a mess.

**Friday, September 18th, 2:23, PM**

**To:**

**Rebels & Weirdos Group Chat**

**[reyofsunshine]:** hey r we still on fr takodana 2nite?

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** thats a stupid queston

 **[hoeDAMNeron]:** its frIday ofc we arree!

**[reyofsunshine]:** good. My calc class is alrdy kiking my ass

 **[reyofsunshine]:** I NEED LIQUOR

**[finn-tastic!]:** you know peanut there is someone who could help

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** finn. My sweet. My buddy. Y wold u poke the beeast like thaht????

**[reyofsunshine]:** wut

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** well now thats it pokd might as well fllow threw

 **[hoeDAMNeron]:** ben rey. u could ask ben for help

**[reyofsunshine]:** not 2 b dramatic but id literally rathr die

**[rosebianyothername]:** wow, okay

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** would thhis be a guod time to mention i invited ben to tako tonight?

**[rosebianyothername]:** uh, NO i think a good time to mention that would have been when rey was already there.

**[reyofsunshine]:** WHAT THE FUK U GUYZZ

 **[reyofsunshine]:** im not coming

 **[reyofsunshine]:** dont tell him it bcuse of him though

 **[reyofsunshine]:** just say that im bzy

**[finn-tastic!]:** aw peanut c’mon!

**[rosebianyothername]:** u should still come!

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** hes not even thst bad anymoore!!!

**_[reyofsunshine has left the chat]_ **

**[finn-tastic!]:** well. She’s gone. We might not see her for awhile.

**[rosebianyothername]:** where does she even disappear TO???

**[benswolo]:**...does she know I’m in this chat?

**[rosebianyothername]:** no

**[finn-tastic!]:** no!

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** ahahahahhaaaa no

**[benswolo]:**...is that better or worse?

**[generalHugs]:** (gif-of-peter-quill-saying-‘it’s-worse-it’s-so-much-worse!’)

-

There was a saying Poe had heard a lot growing up; _timing is everything._ Now, in Poe’s case, that wasn’t true-you either did something or you didn’t and timing was just a flimsy excuse to hide behind and had nothing to do with it- _however,_ in the case of Ben and Rey, he had to coincede that was the fucking truth.

They just...missed each other. And no, that was _not_ just him being overdramatic and wanting to pair off all of his little friends, no matter what Finn thought; he knew for a fact Rey liked Ben. Or rather, had been attracted to him at least. The night he brought her along to the club where Ben’s then-band, The Knights of Ren, were playing, Rey had leaned over to Poe and whispered, _“This music stinks but I could climb the lead singer like a tree.”_

In turn, when Poe next saw Ben, Ben had practically strapped him to a chair and interrogated him about who the girl at the club had been.

It had almost been perfect.

But then they ran into each other, unsupervised, at _Takodana_.

And Ben had opened his mouth.

Poe didn’t know all the details. He showed up just as Rey was connecting her fist with Ben’s face. What he _did_ know was Ben had still been Kylo Ren and full of a lot of anger that Poe usually just rolled his eyes at, but Rey didn’t know Ben the way Poe did, hadn’t grown up with him and his parents. No, she’d only known that his parents had given her a job while she struggled through college, and that Ben was their trust-fund baby who claimed they, _‘didn’t understand him.’_

Suffice to say, it did not end well.

But speaking of endings, Ben came to his senses by Poe’s second year, seemingly completely on his own; the Knights of Ren disbanded, and Ben and his least-favorite-person-and-yet-seemingly-best-friend, Hux, came over to study at Resistance University. Poe brought them into the fold of his friend group without a thought, and despite the fact that Finn had experienced Kylo Ren’s tantrums firsthand (having worked as a rodey at their shows for some extra cash) and Rose and Hux had sworn each other as enemies ever since he insulted her taste in beers once when she was drunk and she bit his hand in retaliation, _they_ all managed to resolve their differences.

But Rey. Oh, sweet, adoring Rey.

Rey could hold a fucking grudge.

It didn’t help how hard Ben tried; it always backfired. He had that Solo-Talent where you could infuriate a person with five words or less, but he didn’t possess the same charm his dad did to smooth it over. Rey always ended up mad as hell, though she would never admit it; no, she liked his parents too much and respected his uncle as a teacher too greatly to shit on Ben to his face, so she just argued with him and mostly avoided him like the black death. And Ben, meanwhile, had taken to sulking after Rey like a sad puppy. Poe didn’t know Ben to care much about people’s opinions, but maybe that was just another thing that changed after his emo phase. 

“If we got them in a room together, I’ll bet they’d work it out,” Poe said, flipping over another strip of bacon. “Maybe if we finally convinced her to stay one of the nights Ben is cooking?”

Ben was amazing in the kitchen, and Rey loved food more than people. It was a solid idea. Finn groaned from the table, though, and Poe shot his boyfriend a look. His _unsupportive_ boyfriend, that is.

“Poe. Leave it alone.”

“I agree with Finn,” Hux announced, not looking up from his phone. Poe and Finn, on the other hand, immediately snapped their heads to the ginger-haired man.

“Did you just say you agree with me?” Finn asked, his voice incredulous.

“Don’t get used to it,” Hux smirked, continuing to scroll. Poe rolled his eyes and turned back to the stove, self-righteous angst fueling him.

“Am I the only one who’s bothered by the fact that two of our dear friends can’t stand the sight of each other?”

“Solo has no problem with Rey,” Hux helpfully added.

That was damn true. The first words out of Ben’s mouth whenever he arrived anywhere was, _“Where’s Rey?”_

“And you aren’t mad they don’t get along, you just like stirring the pot,” Finn said, leveling Poe with a frown. Poe winked right back.

“Just keepin’ it spicy,”

“Jesus.” Hux moaned, standing up from the table and stalking off down the hall. Then, after a beat, a much louder, “FUCK.” Hux charged back into the room.

“The fucking bathroom sink isn’t working again!” 

Finn snagged a piece of bacon from the plate Poe set down and shrugged. “Call Rey.”

“I am!”

Their apartment was shitty and their landlord/maintenance man even worse, but for three guys attending college without much money, it was good enough. And with Rey around? Nothing ever stayed broken for long. Just the week before she’d come to fix the heater when Ben kept complaining he was cold-of course, she came when he was out-and had it fixed in less than an hour-

Poe almost dropped his bacon, his jaw going slack. He grasped Finn’s arm, then reached out to smack the phone out of Hux’s hand. Hux screamed.

“OHMYGOD MOTHAFUCKA, IF THAT’S BROKEN YOU’RE DAMN WELL PAYIN’ FOR IT-okay, it’s fine, it’s fine,” Hux held up the undamaged device and then glared at Poe. Poe ignored it. He was good at that.

“I.” He began, a grin spreading on his face. “Have a great idea.”

-

Rey hoisted her bag a little higher onto her shoulder and pounded on the green apartment door.The pouring rain outside had soaked her clean through as soon as she stepped out of her Frankenstein-ed red beetle, and she was leaving a wet puddle on the welcome mat. _At least the books are safe,_ she thought. The waterproof satchel had been worth it; Portland storms didn’t mess around.

With still no response, Rey knocked again and then growled, retrieving her phone. Poe _said_ he was home, said it was an _emergency,_ that he _needed_ the bathroom sink. Honestly, Rey didn’t get it; what, did they need water directly in front of them while they slicked their hair back with too much gel? They had a kitchen sink, why was it an emergency to need the bathroom one? That was more than Rey had growing up.

_Ah. watch it. You already used your ‘sad foster care kid’ card today when you told Rose you were canceling movie night to sleep._

She had just started to open up the group chat when the door swung open and Beebee rushed her feet, yapping and barking. She started speaking before she even looked up. “What took you so long, catch your reflection in a mirror-” she stopped short when she saw who she was talking to wasn’t Poe.

Kylo. Well, no, if you wanted to be technical, _Ben._ She frowned. If you wanted to be even _more_ technically, _Shirtless Ben._

 _Fuck me._ She went rigid, worried he would somehow hear her thoughts. _I mean, fuck me in a, this sucks way, not like a request, although..._

“Uh…” in his defense, he seemed just as confused as her. Rey focused on that. She wasn’t alone in her confusion, he did _not_ have the upper hand.

“Is Poe home?” She tried. It wasn’t unreasonable for Ben to be there, she knew that. Poe, Hux and Ben all shared an apartment near the campus together, though how none of them had killed each other was a miracle Rey would never understand. “I was supposed to come fix your pipe.” She thought she saw his face go crimson. She glanced at the floor. “Well, no, not your pipe, your sink, the sink, I’m here to fix the sink-”

It was Ben’s turn to frown. Rey bent down to pet Beebee instead of continuing to stare at his rippling abdomen. “No, Poe’s out on a date with Finn.”

“He’s _what_?” She cried, eyes flashing from his pectoral-region to his face.

“He’s. Out on a date?”

“I know what a date is, I just mean he said he’d meet me here,” She cursed internally and then pasted on a smile. She was going to _murder_ Dameron. Which was sad for so many reasons; she had worked hard to claw her way up to four friends, and Finn seemed so happy with him as his boyfriend...“It’s fine. I’ll come back later-”

“Hey, wait,” he called, stepping into the hall to block her path before she could bolt. His muscles jumped as he did. Rey frowned again. _Why would I notice that?_ “You don’t need Poe here to fix the sink. The sink is still here. Poe just isn’t.”

Did he always have to sound so goddamn condescending? Rey grit her teeth. “Yeah, sure, fine.”

“Great.” He raked a hand through his luscious locks and led the way into the little apartment. Rey trailed him into the bathroom, dropping her bag. Beebee sat down beside it with his tail wagging. He was clearly the only happy one in the situation.

“You don’t have to be my guide, I’ve been here before,” she grumbled before a towel was shoved in her face.

“You’re soaking wet; dry off so you don’t catch your death of cold,” he grumbled.

“What are you, a regency-era mother?” She snapped, but she took the towel anyway and began rubbing it against her hair. She figured... _nay,_ she _hoped_...that Ben would just leave. Go back to doing whatever Ben Solos did in their spare time, like disappoint their mother’s or listen to My Chemical Romance.

“You shouldn’t do that.”

Rey looked up at him. “What?”

“Rub the towel against your hair. It creates split-ends and frizz. You gently dab it between the cloth, that way’ll help close the hair pores.”

Rey just stared at him. He blinked at her, hands in the pockets of his sweatpants and his chest still, unfairly, bare. He shrugged. “What?”

“Are you seriously telling me that I _dry my hair wrong?_ ”

“Just making a friendly suggestion.”

“Okay, here’s a friendly suggestion; _put on a freaking shirt.”_ She spun around on the cool tile again and began pulling tools out of her bag. She could feel Ben’s stare, heard his little intake of breath. Crap. She’d probably offended him. Not that it mattered to her if she offended him, of course not; but her favorite professor _was_ his uncle, and Han _had_ given her a job at his garage and it didn’t matter how many issues she had with Ben, she didn’t have to be rude. That would be sinking to his level.

“Dude.” She tacked on hastily, just as he was leaving.

“What?”

“I said, ‘put a freaking shirt on _dude’._ You know. Friendly.”

Another sharp intake of breath, but this time it sounded suspiciously like a laugh. He left her alone, and Rey scowled at the pipes a moment before whipping out her phone.

**Tuesday, September 22nd, 6:46, PM**

**To:**

**Rebel Group Chat**

**[reyofsunshine]:** POE IM GONNA KILL U

**[generalHugs]:** when he’s dead, can i have his room?

**[reyofsunshine]:** wtf since when r u in the group chat?

**[generalHugs]:** since poe thought of a dumbass nickname for me

**[reyofsunshine]:** whatever. Are you home?

**[generalHugs]:** nope. Visiting mum this week.

 **[generalHugs]:** i’m trying to convince her egging my father’s house would be a good bonding experience.

**[reyofsunshine]:** u need therapy

 **[reyofsunshine]:**...also if u wait id love to come along for that

**[generalHugs]:** the therapy or the egging?

**[reyofsunshine]:** hahaha jokes on u im alrdy IN therapy

**[rosebianyothername]:** What did i just walk into???

Rey chuckled and started to type out a reply, but the sound of feet in the hall made her shove her phone back into her bag and go back to working on the pipes. She felt Ben come and stand in the doorway.

“How’s it going?” 

“Fine. I should have it fixed in fifteen minutes. It was just a loose cap.” She wasn’t bragging, she was _not_ trying to impress him. Those were just facts.

“Oh.” Why did he sound disappointed? Did he _want_ to take up her whole evening making her work? She had things to do!

...well, no, no she didn’t. She was ahead on homework and Finn was out with Poe, which meant she couldn’t catch up on any of the shows they were watching together. She’d probably just go home and eat ramen. Maybe she’d water her plants.

“I was gonna offer...I’m starting on dinner. Would you like some?”

“No, that’s okay, you don’t need to do that.” She cursed and twisted her wrench a little further. Beebee licked her face.

“It’s really no trouble.”

Rey’s stomach growled; she knew Ben could cook. It was endlessly annoying, all the things he was good at. She’d been forced to acknowledge it last Hanukkah, when Leia invited Rey over to dinner for the holiday and Ben had been there, helping his mother in the kitchen. Now, Rey was pagan, not jewish, and Leia knew that and didn’t care, but Ben just _stared_ at her all night, like he was mad, like he felt she didn’t belong. It sucked.

BUT. The food was probably the best thing she’d ever put in her mouth.

“It’s really fine,” she repeated, even though that wasn’t true. If Hux was visiting his mother, who lived over two hours away, and Poe and Finn were on a date...they’d be stuck eating alone. Rey couldn’t stomach that, no matter how much her stomach wanted to. He left again without another word.

-

The first time Ben heard the story of how his parents met, he had thought his father was an idiot.

His dad had picked up his uncle, who was hitchhiking to a protest rally against his parents wishes. Han had dropped him off-or rather, had _planned_ on dropping him off. But when he saw Leia, and Leia learned he wasn’t staying to help, she had called him a, _‘heartless mercenary who probably didn’t care about anything or anybody.’_

And Han had decided right then and there that he was going to marry the spunky young woman with the two-bun hairstyle and the big, ‘MEN OF QUALITY ARE NOT THREATENED BY WOMEN FOR EQUALITY’ sign. Even as she continued to hurl curses at him.

Ben should have known. Known he was bound to fall under the same Solo curse. Except his would be so, _so_ much worse because he had absolutely no game. (His dad didn’t really have much either, according to his mom, so that was sort of comforting.)

The first time he saw Rey, he was drawn to her, and when they met up at the bar and he said something stupid because _he_ was stupid and too into his Kylo Ren persona to use his brain, Rey had promptly responded with a scoff of, _‘You. You’re just afraid you’ll never live up to your family's legacy, so you’re not even trying.’_

And Ben. Oh, he still cringed to think about it. _He_ had responded with, _‘And you’re just trying to replace my family with yours because you don’t even have a legacy to look back to. But believe me, they’re gonna disappoint you.’_

Rey had decked him. And Ben, about halfway to the ground, had known he’d already fallen in another sense of the word, for the spunky young woman with the three-bun hairstyle. Ah, how history repeated itself.

It had been a wake-up call in many ways.

But things did not improve.

At Hanukkah, when he’d been in his _own family house_ with plenty of time to chat her up, he’d been too shocked by how pretty she looked to even get in a word edgewise. (Not to mention his father, who hogged Rey all night talking about cars. Ben wasn’t bitter.) He tried to be friendly when she was around with their other friends, yet he always ended up saying something to piss her off-maybe it was like the old quote, about how if you love someone they can dump soup in your lap, but if you hate someone the way they hold a spoon will drive you crazy. Maybe he was that for Rey.

And, if at all possible, they seemed to be getting worse.

He went around the kitchen collecting ingredients for dinner, staring at his phone with an incredulous expression.

Why the hell was she friends with _Hux_ and not _him?_ He liked Hux, of course, he was friends with Hux, but it had taken _years_ for the two of them to warm up to each other. And it took them making out, late after a show one night, to really open up to each other. It hadn’t turned into anything more, but Hux had confided in Ben that he grew up with a homophobic dad and Ben had come out to him as bi and it had helped bond them. What had bonded Rey and Hux? He only ever remembered them having rude, yelling matches at the bar.

Yet there she was, being friendly as could be in the group chat while asking if anyone was in the apartment besides Ben himself to rescue her. Ben opened up his private messenger.

**Me, 6:59, PM:** how are you friends with rey

**Hux, 7:02, PM:** hello to you too. Yes, my mom is doing well. She says hi.

Also my god Ben are you stalking the group chat?

**Me, 7:03, PM:** ITS NOT STALKING IF U R FUCKING IN THE GROUP CHAT TOO

Also say thanks to your mom for the cookies she sent last week.

**Hux, 7:05, PM:** Rey and I spent most of our childhoods in London. We like to make fun of the way you americans speak. Its not that deep solo

I will tell her you said that. She’s sending me home with leftovers too

Ben scowled and shoved his phone into his pocket. The water on the stove was boiling,(a bit like his rage) and he shoved the pasta in and slammed the lid on top.

He was moping and he knew it. Last week he’d gotten so desperate he’d actually asked his mom what to do, and she had laughed in his face and then kissed his forehead. _“Rey likes you. Just be yourself.”_

Crummiest advice ever. Typical mom-thing to say.

It was possible Hux had a point, though; he just had to think of things he and Rey had in common.

_Therapy. We both go to therapy._

_Oh yeah, Solo, that is a stellar thing to bond over._

_Our grandpas worked together._

_She hates her grandpa. Scratch that._

The lights in the apartment flashed and Ben frowned, glancing out the window to see the rain was now coming down in absolute buckets.

“Okay, all done,” Rey announced, coming into the kitchen with her bag on her shoulder, clothes still wet and hands covered in grime. Why the hell did all of that just make her cuter? Ben was in deep shit. “I’ll be heading out now.” She graced him with a smile, but it wasn’t the same kind she gave to everyone else.

“Oh, um, okay, I guess-” _Can we be friends? Can we PLEASE be friends?_ “Be careful driving home, it’s really raining.”

Rey eyed him over her shoulder as he trailed her to the front door. “I’m a fantastic driver, Ben, I’ll be fine.”

Shit. “Right, of course-”

Before he could get the rest of the sentence out, both of their phones started wailing incessantly. He yanked his out of his pocket, ready to just dismiss it.

**FLOOD WARNING FROM 7:15 PM TO 12:00 AM.**

**ROADS CLOSED IN HOSNIAN AREA.**

_Oh fuck._ Ben glanced up from his phone just as Rey did from hers. They lived in the Hosnian neighborhood.

“Um. You can hang out here, I mean-” her eyes narrowed.

“Gee, thanks, for not throwing me out into a flood.” She dropped her bag and folded her arms. Ben raked a hand through his hair, feeling his heartrate pick up; the apartment didn’t seem big enough anymore. Well, it always felt a little small, he was six foot two, but right now it felt downright _cramped._

“Right. Well, if you wanna use the TV while you wait, and I have plenty of pasta cooking-”

And that was when whatever mystical forces uncle Luke claimed were watching over them decided to take a real long holiday. The lights flickered, and then went out.

“I’d really rather not do this now,” Rey whined in the darkness. Ben shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed.

“Yeah, me too,”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the group chat is still a mess but Rey and Ben are less of one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter turned out to be quite a bit longer than the first. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**Tuesday, September 22nd, 7:30, PM**

**To:**

**Rebels & Weirdos Group Chat**

**[rosebianyothername]:** hey so the roads are completely flooded, is everyone okay and safe?

**[finn-tastic!]:** yeah Poe and i are now stranded in this gay club but honestly thats not the worst sentence.

**[finn-tastic!]:** This one guy just said he’ll buy everyone a shot and two other guys are doing a duet of endless love

**[generalHugs]:** wait, the roads are flooded? I’m out of town

**[rosebianyothername]:** yeah why?

**[generalHugs]:** hmm. Oh rey? How are things? Smirking-emoji

**[finn-tastic!]:** did u srsly just TYPE smirk emoji instead of an actual emoji?

**[generalHugs]:** Emojis are stupid but I needed to convey a feeling.

**[rosebianyothername]:** ohmygod rey are you okay? Why is Hugs smirking?

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** i dont get it wuts happening

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** wait.

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** HAHAHAHAHAHIGHSFGGIFGI 

**[reyofsunshine]:** seriously if this storm dsent fuking kill u i will

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** i didnt do this i cant control the weather!!!!! :( :( :(

**[reyofsunshine]:** did anyone elses pwer go out?

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** ohmygod.

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** well now u 2 have an excuse to huddle for warmth and u can finally climb that tree

**[reyofsunshine]:** (gif-of-michael-scott-saying-’i-will-kill-you’)

**[rosebianyothername]:** welp say goodbye to poe everyone

**[generalHugs]:** goodbye dameron

**[finn-tastic!]:** you were a good boyfriend while it lasted

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** wat noooo! Finn uve gotta portect me!!!

**[rosebianyothername]:** i dunno what he did but ill help u exact revenge rey

**[reyofsunshine]:** thats y i luv u more than poe

**[rosebianyothername]:** besties for life

**[reyofsunshine]:** :)

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** :D

**[reyofsunshine]:** that smile was for rose not u dont steel roses smile!! 

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** rey im sorry plz love me!!!

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** reeeeyyyy????

**_[reyofsunshine has left the chat]_ **

**_[benswolo has entered the chat]_ **

**_[benswolo is typing…]_ **

**[rosebianyothername]:** oh. Uh oh.

**[rosebianyothername]:** anyone wanna xplain whats happening 2 me?

**[finn-tastic!]:** meet me in the private messenger app. Its safer there.

**_[benswolo is typing…]_ **

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** dont leave me alone with him!

**_[finn-tastic! and rosebianyothername have left the group chat]_ **

**_[benswolo is typing…]_ **

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** hugs. My man.

**[generalHugs]:** As much as I would love to watch Solo tear you a new one, I have plans to go mini golfing with my mother.

**_[generalHugs has left the chat]_ **

**_[benswolo is typing…]_ **

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** ben?....i luv u

**[benswolo]:** ………………………………………………………………………………………

**[benswolo]:** you're dead to me.

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** were u just wruting periods that whole timme??????!!!!!!!

**_[benswolo has left the chat]_ **

-

As it turned out, Ben was actually pretty calm when things went wrong. Which meant he apparently just sucked at interacting when things were going  _ right.  _ Rey could relate to that, she had to admit; she was amazing in a crisis (she had her lovely childhood to thank for that), but she stank when everyone was just hanging out with no big issues to solve.

Rey held the flashlight up on her phone for him while he went around collecting candles, of which he owned an obscene amount. It made sense in her head; Ben was a drama-queen, he probably liked the candles for a dramatic aesthetic while he brooded. He lit them around the living room and kitchen and took the pasta off the water, only to discover it wasn’t cooked nearly enough.

“You want a sandwich instead?” He began, and Rey was about to protest before he barrelled on with, “I can’t imagine it’s fun being in wet clothes.”

Rey crossed her arms. “No. It’s a fucking blast.”

Ben actually rolled his eyes at that and sulked off out of the room. Rey just stood there, wondering if she had managed to somehow annoy him into retreating, but then he returned with his arms full of clothes.

“I don’t know if this’ll fit you, but here.” He handed her a sweater and pair of sweatpants. Rey eyed them like they were going to attack her. Ben sighed. “If you’d rather ransack Poe’s wardrobe, be my guest,”

She debated. It definitely seemed less weird to borrow Poe’s clothing than Ben’s, but after several more moments, she took them and went off to the bathroom to change, calling a forcefully chipper ‘thanks’ over her shoulder. Just because it was the polite thing to do, of course, and not because she  _ wanted  _ to wear his sweater, the sweater which she most certainly didn’t smell as she was putting it on.

Her hand got caught in a hole in the side of it and she scowled to herself.  _ Guess he gave me his leftovers, huh,  _ because of course he wouldn’t want Rey wearing his nice clothing…

_ Breathe.  _ She reminded herself, focusing all her rage on the drawstrings of the sweatpants; she had to tighten it by so much the cord almost touched the floor, but she got them to stay up, cuffing the bottom to keep from tripping. Jesus, she always knew Ben was tall considering he towered over her and she was five seven, but it really drove it home when she had to roll them about sixty times to get it anywhere near manageable.

Out in the living room, Ben had just gone ahead and made her food, without even asking, and was puttering around collecting blankets and pillows. What, was he being domestic? Helpful? Rey could not process.

“Sorry about the hole in the sweater, I just figured it’s the most comfortable thing I own,” he said, turning around to look at her. Shock crossed his face as he froze. Rey narrowed her eyes.  _ Is he mad I actually put on his things?  _

“What?”

He shook his head and his hair fell into his face. “Nothing, nothing…” he went back to fussing over the arrangement of chips on his plate, and then sliding two glasses forward. “You don’t have to, but I’m in desperate need of a drink.”

Rey didn’t even take offense at that. She flopped down onto the couch, the same couch she’d shared so many movie-watching experiences with Finn and Poe, so many invigorating arguments with Hux, so many bottles of beer with Rose while Poe yelled at them to go home…

She hadn’t really shared anything with Ben, though. Neither negative or positive. He handed her a glass filled from a bottle of Corellian whiskey, and she took it and drank a large amount, just to try to stifle the sadness it brought up in her, thinking that she really, truly did not have a friendship with Ben. 

“Why not. I’m already going to be exhausted at work tomorrow, anyway,” she commented, rubbing her temples. Ben frowned.

“How many jobs are you working again?”

That made all the sadness drain out of her.  _ Some of us don’t have our parents money to fall back on.  _ “Four. Why?”

Ben shook his head. “It just...seems like you’re overworking yourself. I mean, you work with my dad in his garage, you help mom with her charity, you bartend when Maz is overrun,  _ and  _ you’re going to college?”

She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she stuffed her face in record time even for her, a professional face-stuffer. Foster care had taught her to eat fast and eat whatever was given to you, but she was happy to find Ben had made one of her personal favorites; roast beef, swiss cheese and tomato. She was done long before Ben was, so she nursed her drink and listened to the rain, content in the silence. She was used to silence.

But after about five minutes, it was starting to get to her.

“So.” She said, swirling the amber liquid in her cup. Ben swallowed and nodded. He sort of looked like a puppy dog, curled up on the ground with his wide eyes trained on her. And, as if to prove the point, Beebee came and sat next to him, also staring at Rey. Rey smiled to herself. Ben seemed to mistake the gesture for him, smiling back. Rey almost fell over.

It was not the same smile he gave to Poe after one of Poe’s infamous dirty jokes, or to Hux when Hux was bitching about a typo on a diner menu, or to Rose when she was poorly retelling a story too fast to understand, or to Finn when Finn was screaming about how amazing something he had just discovered was that everyone else in the entire world had already discovered.

No. This was a private smile. A soft smile.

So of course, she needed to shut that down. Rey cleared her throat and looked out the window. “We should do something.”

There was a long pause from her dinner-partner. And then, “We could...get to know each other better?” Ben suggested. Rey frowned, hugging her knees to her chest.

“We know each other.”

“Nah, we don’t,” he shook his head. “I know a lot more about Rose and Poe and Finn than I do about you.”

“What about Hux?”

Ben snorted. “I know  _ too much  _ about Hux.” He shot her a smirk. “So. Let’s learn about each other.”

“I know everything I need to know about you,” she snapped. Then, remembering her resolve to be nicer, “bro.”

Ben seemed unphased. “You do?” He peered at her. “Ah. Yeah. You do.”

Rey took the bottle of whiskey off the table and took a long swig. “Fine. How do we start?”

It started out innocent enough; Ben suggested they just list random facts about themselves, whatever they wanted, and go back and forth seeing whether or not the other person already knew it. It reminded Rey of something kids would play in kindergarten, and then she started imagining Ben as a kindergarten teacher. It was supposed to be funny.

But it actually kinda fit.

Rey drank until she understood that sort of logic.

Most of the things Ben said Rey somehow already knew, which seemed worrisome. Why did she know he hated the taste of mustard? Or that his favorite book was _The Return of the King?_ Okay, maybe those were pretty general facts, but even the miniscule ones she knew; how he liked to sleep with a lot of blankets even though at night he always got overheated; how he thought it was rude people kept comparing dogs and cats because they’re both wonderful in different ways; that the first album he ever bought was, believe it or not, a Best of John Denver CD.

In turn, Rey found herself revealing more than she originally intended, which couldn’t all be blamed on the whiskey as much as she would love to. (She knew how to hold her liquor.) Yet she told him that green was her favorite color because it reminded her of all the blooming life in the world she never saw living in London and then a desert town; she told him her favorite food was any kind that had filling, like donuts or dumplings, because she liked the surprise of finding out what’s inside; she told him whale songs stressed her out and made it impossible for her to fall asleep, but that she was perfectly capable of passing out while a loud rock song blared. He nodded along, a knowing look on his face, and had the gall to respond, 

“I know, remember when you fell asleep at the bar and I tried to carry you?”

Rey couldn’t believe he brought it up. He’d been emo-boy then, and he’d been a pain all night at the bar, and when Rey, exhausted from arguing and classes, passed out, he had picked her up like a new bride to carry her to Finn’s car. Unfortunately, after years of acting on instinct, she’d woken up and smacked her fist at his face. Her ring had left a cut along his nose and cheek for a month. He’d claimed she’d scarred him and threatened to sue, only to say,  _ “I’m not doing this, the effort of a lawsuit would kill you. You probably don’t even have enough money for it to be worth it.” _

Anger and alcohol and the memory of his better-than-you attitude that night fueled her. She leaned over the side of the couch, watching the world turn.

“Alright, change of games,” she announced, her words slurred just a pinch either from the angle or the liquor. 

“Okay.” Ben agreed at once.

“Instead of seeing if the other person knows a thing, let’s make it something they definitely don’t. Let’s tell each other a  _ secret _ about ourselves, I’m gonna go first; I hate you.”

Ben didn’t react. Which was really unfair, because  _ Rey  _ reacted to saying those words and she  _ knew  _ they were coming.

“That’s not a secret.” He said, sounding more upset about that than the actual thing she said.

“What do you mean?” She growled.

“You said we were telling each other secrets about ourselves. Yours is definitely not a secret.”

“It is too!” She sat up too fast and got a headrush, having to grip the arm of the couch to keep from falling overboard again. “I have been very nice to you and never said anything-”

“You’ve decked me twice-”

“The second time was an accident!”

“-and last week you called me a monster-”

“You ate the last cheesestick  _ without even asking if anyone else wanted to split it!” _

“Hey, I  _ made _ those cheesesticks and then everyone else just  _ assumed _ they could take some, that cheesestick belonged to me!” They just stared at each other for a few minutes across the flickering candlelight of the room.  _ Mood lighting, a storm outside...the perfect setting for a fight three years in the making. _ Rey readied up another accusation, but Ben’s face changed to one of amusement.

“What?” She snapped.

“You know what I think your problem is?”

“Oh, please, do enlighten me.”

“Oh, I will thank you! I think we’re alike. I think you and I are more the same than any of our other friends, and you hate it. You hate that we’re a...a…”

“A what, Ben, a what?”

“A dyad.” He said, eyes widening as if he’d just had the most brilliant idea. He took a long sip of his drink, holding eye-contact with her.

Well. She hadn’t thought the liquor was hitting him as much as it was hitting her, but clearly it was. She snorted. “Ben, are you drunk?”

“What? No!”

“You only break out the big Latin words when you’re wasted.”

“It’s a Greek word,” he grumbled into his glass.

“I thought the Greek language stemmed from Latin.”

“Well, that’s not actually-” he stopped short and frowned, pointing his finger at her. “Hey, you’re trying to distract me!”

Rey snorted again. “Well done, dyad,”

Again, he grumbled, curling up against the opposite wall a bit more firmly. “We have a lot in common.”

“Name one thing.”

“Messed up grandparents?”

“Name one thing that’s fucking  _ not _ that.”

“Having a grandfather in prison is nothing to be ashamed of! Mine was in a mental institute, I got over  _ that _ ,”

“Having one in a mental institute is  _ way  _ better than prison,” Rey countered, holding out her cup. He refilled it automatically.

“Seriously? You really wanna go down the who’s-more-screwed road?”

“Maybe? I dunno. It’s a very scenic road, if nothing else, lots of sights to hit on…”

Ben laughed. It was a deep, vibrating laugh and Rey couldn’t help but smile into her glass. “So yeah. Messed up family tree. See. We’re alike.”

“We are not!”

“Are too!”

“Are fucking not!”

“Stubborn! Another thing we have in common.” Rey leveled him with what she hoped was a Cut-It-The-Fuck-Out-Look. Ben sighed. “Okay, fine, why don’t you tell me all the reasons why we  _ aren’t  _ alike, then, and I’ll present a counterpoint to each.”

“Are we running for office or having a discussion?”

“You know my mom was mayor, guess it rubbed off! C’mon,” he cleared his throat and took a drink. Rey grit her teeth.

“Alright, for one thing, you have parents that give a damn about you and you treat them like shit.”

Ben grimaced, like his drink had suddenly gone sour in his mouth. “Ouch.”

“You asked.”

“Yeah, but...I don’t treat them like shit. I love my parents, I hang out at their house more than I do in my own apartment.”

That was true-in many ways, Ben Solo was a mama’s boy-but Rey was certainly not going to admit defeat so easily. “When I first met your dad-”

“Ohmygod, Rey, you do realize I’ve spent more of my life as Ben Solo than Kylo Ren, right?” She frowned. Or maybe she was just  _ still  _ frowning. Her face had shut down a bit. He continued. “And on the whole parents giving a damn…”

She hugged her knees closer and shut her eyes. Fuck. This was not the road she meant to take. “Is it too late to go on the screwed up route and skip this one?”

Ben didn’t stop. “Your parents  _ did _ give a damn, Rey. We have that in common.”

She hadn’t expected that. The last time he dared to mention her parents was two years ago, and only to point out she didn’t have any. She didn’t say that, though. Instead, she mumbled into her knees, “If they had given a damn, they’d have been more careful.”

She heard Ben sigh. “They shouldn’t have been drinking and driving, yes, but they loved you, Rey.”

“Why are you so sure about that? Did you know them?” She snapped, finally looking up again. Ben blinked at her.

“I’m sure because who  _ wouldn’t _ love you?”

Rey hiccuped and cursed as her eyes started to tear. Ben chuckled, his eyes gentle. She scrubbed at her face. Why did she have to cry so damn easily? She’d been so good at hiding it growing up, but then she made  _ friends  _ and started  _ expressing her feelings  _ and shit, and now…

“Please, Ben, just admit you hate me too.”

“Um, but that would be a lie.”

“The first time we met-”

“Rey, the first time we met I was an asshole! I literally had a song called  _ I Am An Asshole!  _ Remember?”

“How could I forget, Poe still owns all of your CDs,”

“God, he sucks,” Ben mumbled, pushing his hair off his forehead.

“You have a temper.” Rey argued, going back to the safer territory of their stupid game of Are-We-Alike. Ben scoffed.

“Seriously? You wanna take that stance? Rey, I have seen you start more bar brawls than anyone else in our group. Not including me, of course,”

“If a guy is being a jerk-”

“You cut his face open with your rings, believe me, I’m aware,” he said, but he was laughing as he said it.

“You had it coming.”

“Not saying I didn’t.” He swallowed, and Rey was NOT watching the way his throat moved when he did that. “And I’m sorry you’re stuck here with me. I know you’d, um, literally rather die.”

Rey frowned. “What?”

“Rey, I’m in the group chat.”

She straightened up and the contents of her cup would have sloshed right out if she hadn’t finished it so responsibly. “Since when are you in the-”

“Poe invited me awhile back.”

Her face warmed, and something like guilt settled into the pit of her stomach. They fell into silence after that. Wax was dripping down the edge of the candle in front of Rey, and outside, the wind was howling. She licked the rim of her glass.

“I’m sorry I punched you.” She said softly. “It was a reflex from when I was young.”

His eyes were gentle. “I know.” He did know. Which made Rey uncomfortable a bit. She scowled.

“I’m sorry for the second time, when it was an accident. I’m still not sorry about the first time.”

Ben laughed again. “Valid.”

Ben’s points were valid, too. She recognized that. She knew they had similar traits, it was what had drawn her to him in the first place, for crying out loud. Early on, she had been so  _ desperate  _ to be his friend, to get him to notice her...a memory kept flitting in and out of her brain like an incessant bug.  _ Might as well. Can’t get too much more awkward. _

“Do you remember last summer when you invited me to that Oasis concert? I honestly don’t blame you if you don’t, it was-”

“I remember.” He said at once, leaning his head against the wall. “I asked you, and I held the tickets out, and you said no and left the room.”

“Right. Well, here’s the truth, a real secret, unless you already fucking know this, too.” She cleared her throat. “I did want to go. I wanted to take your hand.”

Ben leaned forward. “What? Why didn’t you, then? Why did you seem so disgusted?”

Rey swallowed.  _ You started this. Finish it.  _ “I, um...growing up, I learned to trust my first notions about people. The first thought I have about them is usually right, and it keeps me safe, and when someone hurts me, I tend to use it, sort of like a shield.”

“I can understand that.” Ben said softly. Rey nodded, refusing to look at him.

“When I heard you had bought two tickets to the concert, some part of me got excited, thinking you were gonna ask, because I’m a cliché and I’d always wanted to hear  _ Wonderwall  _ live, and then…” a headache was coming on. She scrunched her nose up. “I heard you asking Poe. And I get it, really, you two have known each other longer. But he must have turned you down, because then I heard you asking Hux, and then Finn, even. And then Rose. And Rose  _ hates _ Oasis. So then when you came and asked me…” her eyes were getting suspiciously moist. She blinked rapidly. “It just felt like our whole friendship; I was never gonna be your friend, not your first pick, anyway. And I...I want to be important to someone, you know? I love Poe and Finn and Rose, and I think I even am starting to feel that way about Hux, and your parents and your uncle have done so much...but I’m nobody’s number one. No one’s priority. So I said no.” She started to wipe her nose with the corner of her sleeve, only to remember it was technically Ben’s and he probably didn’t want her snot on it. She sniffled instead.

“I felt so alone.”

The quiet after her tirade was deafening. Thunder rumbled, and Beebee whimpered a bit.

“You’re not alone.” His voice was low, gentle, testing the waters. Rey finally looked at him.

_ What the... _ his face was wet. Soaked, actually. Rey leaned forward. “My god, are you crying Ben?”

“No! I’m...it’s so hot in here…” he mumbled into his hands, shoulders shaking.

“You’re crying!” She didn’t know why she was being so blunt about it. She’d have killed Ben for pointing out  _ her _ misty eyes.

“I was practicing, Rey!”

“Practicing crying?”

“No,  _ Jesus Christ,  _ no, Rey, the ticket thing! The concert! I bought the tickets for you, but I know what a huge screw-up I am, and that I’d made a bad impression on you, so I was going around asking everyone to practice saying the words. I’m...I’m not good with words. Not unless I can write them down, like with my songs...and even then, my songs weren’t much better, I guess.”

“I liked some of them…” Rey mumbled, but she was too distracted to really think about it. He shrugged and pulled his legs up to his chest the same way Rey had before. She played with the edge of her sweater. No. _His_ sweater. “You wanted to go with me?”

“Yeah, Rey, of course I did. But after you said no, I kinda stopped trying as hard as I had been, to be friends. I just figured I’d fucked up too much for it to happen,” he sighed and pet Beebee’s head.

“Neither are you.” The words were automatic. Ben raised his eyebrows and cocked his head.

“Um. What?”

“You told me I’m not alone. Neither are you.”

He wiped off his cheeks and chin. “Was your first impression of me really that bad?”

“Hm?”

“You said, growing up, you trust first impressions. So was mine really that bad?”

“Oh. Oh, actually…” Rey frowned. “That’s...actually, an interesting...no. No, it wasn’t,”

“What was it, then?” Ben asked, pouring a little more whiskey in both of their cups. Rey chugged a large amount and washed away her filter with it.

“I thought you were hot.”

Ben choked. Full on spluttering, hacking coughs, his whole body shaking. Rey burst into laughter and could barely stand long enough to come to his side, pounding his back as he continued to wheeze. “You...you  _ what now? _ ”

“Did I fucking stutter,” she managed to reply, still cackling. Ben’s coughs turned into chuckles, and pretty soon they were a messy heap on the floor, laughter and booze spilling between them.

“I thought you were hot, too,”

“Wait, what? Seriously?” Rey asked, sitting up a bit to stare down at his prone form, stretched across the ground beside her.

“Rey. You’re gorgeous. When I saw you from the stage I almost forgot what I was singing,”

She blushed and tried to hide it with the snarky reply, “Maybe it  _ would _ have been better if you forgot what you were singing. Ouch, no, sorry, you actually are a really good musician and I really do like some of your songs-” Ben laughed again, so it seemed to be okay. “It’s just all your supposed heavy metal ones had such strangely conservative messages, it was weird! It was like rock ‘n roll for republicans.”

“I know, I was trying to rile my parents.” He shook his head. “And never apologize for calling me out on my shit, Rey. I mean, fuck, that’s half the reason I like you so much.”

“You like me so much?”

To her surprise, Ben looked her dead on, unashamed. “If that’s not obvious by now I’m gonna walk into the ocean.”

Rey smiled. “I could do with some more proof.”

His grin was mischievous. “Hm. Okay. You ready? Strap in, ‘cause this is weird; that sweater you're wearing is my absolute favorite and I gave it to you so it would smell like you the next time I wore it.” Ben’s ears were beet red and Rey laughed.

“I inhaled it in the bathroom. I was worried you would hear and think I was snorting cocaine or something,”

Ben’s eyes crinkled and he grinned. “So we’re both weird and gross.”

“We’re idiots, is what we are.” She debated for only a minute and then lay her head down on his chest. He hummed a content sound, his hand gently stroking her hair out of her face. After a few minutes, the humming turned into a melody.  _ Wonderwall.  _ Rey smiled against him.

“I like your songs better.”

“No way.”

“Not your stupid Knight O’Ren ones, obviously; what about that one you wrote right after you quit? The one for your grandpa?  _ Across The Stars? _ ”

“I didn’t think anyone else really related to that one.”

She draped her arm across his abdomen. “I do.”

“Hm.”

The melody changed again, and Rey’s smile widened.

-

They fell asleep in the living room with several candles still burning; Ben was relieved when he woke up to a whole apartment and not just the ashy remains.

When he sat up, he had just the smallest hints of a hangover. The sun was bright outside the windows, and Rey was passed out on the couch, head down, feet hanging over the sid. She was a mess and she looked perfect. Ben smiled to himself until a loud buzzing drew his attention, and he slowly stood up, back aching from sleeping on the ground. On the kitchen table, his phone was impatient for his attention; two missed calls, one from Hux and one from Poe, and a plethora of unread messages in the group chat. He groaned.

**Wednesday, September 23nd, 2:12, AM**

**To:**

**Rebels & Weirdos Group Chat**

**[finn-tastic!]** well now that the storms over poe and i are heading home. Ill let u all know if he survives rey once we arrive

**[rosebianyothername]:** godspeed.

**2:33, AM:**

**[finn-tastic!]:** blasting this to the void but rey isnt at our apartment??? Rey, ben, u 2 still together?

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** or did reyY pul a rey and disssappeaur????

**[rosebianyothername]:** not a good way to get off her badside poe

**2:55, AM:**

**[finn-tastic!]:** okay well i figure ur either with ben or out driving peanut so i wont worry until tomorrow. Goodnite!

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** and if ur WITH with ben rughit now then mozeltoovv and happyy BIrthdAy 2me

**[rosebianyothername]:** FINN PLEASE TAKE AWAY HIS PHONE BEFORE HE CONTINUES TO PUT MENTAL PICTURES INTO OUR HEADS THAT SOME OF US DO NOT WANT.

**[rosebianyothername]:** sorry you guys, not that the idea of you two hving sexual intercourse revolts me or anything u do u

**[finn-tastic!]:** WHY WOULD U WRTTE THAUT???

**[rosebianyothername]:** IM SO SORRY IVE BEEN UP FOR 24 HURS STuDYING NOW AND IM SO AWKWARD

**[generalHugs]:** when a group chat switches to using all caps, it’s time to take it out back and shoot it.

“Ugh.”

Ben looked over at where Rey was sitting up on the couch, holding her head with one hand and her phone with the other.

“Group chat?” He asked.

“Uh-huh. And I have a bunch of private texts from Poe with the eggplant emoji, and then a series of apologies from Finn.”

Ben shrugged slowly and pushed his hair back. “I guess Poe just assumed that if we stopped being hostile we’d be...even more than friends.”

Rey looked up from her phone, expression unreadable. “Is that what we are?”

Ben swallowed.  _ This...feels like a trap.  _ The answer seemed obvious to him. But what if she wasn’t asking the question he thought she was. “Yeah, I’d say we’re friends, wouldn’t you?”

Rey froze.  _ Uh-oh. Wrong answer? Of course it was-  _ but then she started nodding. “Yeah, right. Of course we are.” She smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Rey-”

“I should get going; I’m due at Han’s in two hours.”

The reminder of the rest of the world made Ben nod and back off. He put on coffee while Rey changed and got dressed, and had a cup of it waiting when she came out. Her hair was back in it’s three-bun style, and her wet clothes were dry. She accepted the cup with another not-quite-real smile.

“Thank you.”

They shared their coffee in silence. Ben didn’t know if it felt tense to her, but it did to him. Rey finished before him, as usual, and she collected her bag and handed him his sweater, their fingers just brushing. They both froze, and Ben looked down at their hands, entranced by the smallest contact-

Rey’s phone went off and she pulled away to check it. “Oh, Luke texted me reminding me I have a meeting with him today,” she grimaced and Ben wanted to throttle his uncle for ruining his all-too-brief moment of hand-on-hand contact with Rey. (He’d about passed out when she laid on him last night, but it had also ended before it really began after Beebee started whining to go outside.)

“Thanks, Ben. For everything.” She waved and and then she was gone.

Ben leaned his head against the door and closed his eyes. His thoughts drifted to her words, about wanting to be someone’s priority; he wanted her to be that for him. He wanted her to like him. But was that smart? Were they  _ too  _ connected, with her job with his dad and all their friends? At the very least, they couldn’t play right into Poe’s game like that, he’d think them being together was all thanks to him.

_ It’s not happening anyway, get it together Ben- _

The door swung open and Ben got crushed into the wall behind it, Beebee yapping in the entry. “Ben?” Rey called, tearing passed him.

“Back here,” he groaned and she spun around, eyes huge.

“Ohmygod, did I crush you just now?”

“Just a bit.”

“Why were you right behind the door?”

“Brooding.” Her smile seemed happier. He wanted to encourage that. “What are you doing back so soon?”

“I forgot something.”

“Oh.” His excitement decreased by a large percentage, until he felt her hand curling up into his hair, the other one tugging on his shirt until his lips were near enough for her to lean up and-

Oh.  _ Oh. _

Kissing Rey was everything and anything Ben needed; her lips were chapped and her mouth was warm, and she kissed the same way she approached life, with stubbornness and passion. Ben was happy to just give in, kissing her back as best he could but letting her tilt his head this way and that, giving and taking for so long he started to get dizzy. He gripped her waist for grounding.

When they pulled apart, he grinned, and Rey’s eyes were shining, smile so big it looked like it hurt. “Ben.” She whispered. And he laughed and leaned his forehead against hers, wondering how they went from whiskey and ‘i hate yous’ to making out in his front hallway.

“Let’s tell each other secrets about ourselves.” He whispered. “I’ll go first; I love you.”

Rey’s smile turned mischievous. “That’s not a secret.”

“Oh, no?”

“No.  _ This  _ is a secret-” she leaned in close to him, hiding her face in his neck.  _ “I’m pretty bloody sure I’ve actually loved you too the whole time.” _

-

**Peanut, 3:56, PM:** rey. Peanut. I am begging you. When are you going to tell him?

Look I know he was annoying u guys but now hes annoying ME

He really thinks u 2 hate each other now

He won’t stop whining

He feels bad.

**3:57, PM:**

Plz this is getting unbearable.

**Me, 3:59, PM:** once he learns not to trick ben and i into spending time with each other he’ll b off the hook

**Peanut, 4:01, PM:** didnt it technically work thoug? Like u an ben ARE dating now

**Me, 4:02, PM:** thin ice peanut. Thats some thin ice.

But dont worry. Ben and i r planning on telling him soon, just waiting for the prfct moment for the big reveal

**Peanut, 4:05, PM:** jesus why did any of us evr think it was a good idea to get you 2 together? Ur both too extra, together the extra levels are off the fucking charts

ITS TOO BIG ITS TOO MUCH

**Me, 4:06, PM:** you wanna know what else is too big and too much? ;)

**Peanut, 4:07, PM:** REY UR TURNING TO THE DARKSIDE

-

As much as Ben loved Rey’s plan to torture Poe a little, it was hard not to just shout out from the top of his lungs, ‘REY IS MY GIRLFRIEND!’ He was relieved that Poe was the only one he had to keep it from, at the very least, and so, with everyone else, he did exactly what he wanted to;

_ “Rey is my girlfriend!”  _ He had shouted to his mother when he came by the charity to take Rey to lunch, and to his dad when he came to check out Rey’s progress on restoring the old family car-a Ford Falcon that had seen  _ far  _ better days-and to Rose and Finn when the four of them went out drinking, and to Hux as soon as he got back from his trip, thoroughly scaring him and almost making him drop his bag, and to Luke when he came to talk to him about a paper he was writing.

But still. Poe was his roommate. He couldn’t sit writing love songs all night, because he knew Poe would hear. That had been Rey’s suggestion, too, that he get back into songwriting. 

_ “Why should you quit a career you loved completely just because your manager turned out to be the embodiment of satan?”  _

Ben hadn’t realized how much he missed it until he got out his grandpa’s old acoustic guitar and began messing around. He played his ideas for Rey every night when he went to her place to eat dinner and chat, and afterwards, she would whine to him about school and every little thing that was bugging her and he would give her advice on how to deal with his uncle’s weird scoring system and stroke her hair until she fell asleep. He moved his schedule around so he could pick her up from work and she moved stuff out of her nightstand so he could keep a change of clothes there. (A change of clothes and his favorite sweater that she was slowly commandeering.) Prioritising. They were prioritising each other.

But meanwhile, Poe was inconsolable about the fact that Ben and Rey hadn’t gotten anywhere, believing they’d fought and left on angry terms. It was fun for awhile, but now Ben had plans to take Rey to see Oasis finally, now that they were back on another tour, and he didn’t want Poe to have to find out on social media when he saw the inevitable pictures Rey would post of them together at the event.

In the end, the moment couldn’t have been any more perfect if they had planned it.

Ben was in the kitchen, making snacks with Hux. Rose, Finn and Rey were coming over to watch  _ Pirates of the Caribbean- _ Ben owned the largest TV, so they always did movie night at their place-although, in the past, Rey usually found a reason to ditch or Ben did, so this would be the first time in awhile they all did it together, and Ben couldn’t wipe the grin off his face, even when Hux so politely asked him to stop fantasizing about his girlfriend and just toss the damn salad.

“Just gimmie a hint, how awkward is tonight gonna be with you and Rey?” Poe asked, coming into the kitchen with his hands on his hips and a frown on his face. Ben shrugged.

“It should be fine.”

“Fine? Just fine. Listen, Benny, this is one of my all-time favorite movies and Finn hasn’t seen it yet, so will you please-”

“You really buy that old ‘hasn’t seen it yet’ routine? For a film this popular? Oh, Poe,” Hux said, placing a hand on his heart. “I think he may just be saying that so you can feel special. Did he tell you he was a virgin, too?”

Poe flipped him off without looking and opened his mouth to say something more to Ben, but Ben’s phone started ringing. Ben had his back to it, hands covered in salad dressing after the bag tore.

“Someone check who that is?”

“Sure.” He heard a disgruntled noise from Poe as the phone kept ringing. “Ben, who in the hell is, ‘MyOtherHalf?’”

Ben felt a shit-eating grin spread on his face and turned to share it with Hux, who was pressing his lips together so tight you couldn’t see them. “Ben?!” Poe sounded almost panicked. “Who is ‘MyOtherHalf’?!”

Ben wiped his hands off on a towel and picked up his phone, swiping the  ANSWER  button while maintaining eye-contact with Poe. “Hey, Rey. So guess who just found out we’re dating?”

-

**Thursday, October 8th, 7:21, PM**

**To:**

**Rebels & Weirdos Group Chat**

**_[hoeDAMNeron has renamed Rebels & Weirdos Group Chat to Traitors & Liars Group Chat]_ **

**_[hoeDAMNeron has renamed benswolo to mr.rey]_ **

**_[hoeDAMNeron has renamed reyofsunshine to mrs.ben]_ **

**[rosebianyothername]:** huh. Guess that means he knows now, right?

**[finn-tastic!]:**

(gif-of-john-mulaney-saying-‘now-we-don’t-have-time-to-unpack-all-of-that!’)

**[hoeDAMNeron]:** i hate all of you

**[mrs.ben]:** aw poe. I hate u is just the cowards way of saying i luv u

**[generalHugs]:** Not that I care but that makes zero sense.

**[mr.rey]:** trust me; it makes a LOT of sense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently working on two longer fics at the moment, and having that eternal fanfic author debate of, 'Will posting a chapter of the story before it's all finished motivate me, or bite me in the ass when I most likely lose inspiration in the future?' A question for the ages.
> 
> Come visit me on Tumblr: https://morlemia.tumblr.com/  
> Or on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo5h5M0rZXp5TN6fLu4tc4g
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed!  
> -Morlemia

**Author's Note:**

> So I put SO MANY (or at least what seemed like a lot to me) little nods to things in the films and SW books in this fic, and I'll be curious to see if you guys spot all of them!...or if they're just super obscure and only amusing to me, which is possible, haha.
> 
> -Morlemia


End file.
